


Robots have feelings too, you know.

by RonWeasleyAKALittleLionMan



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Robots & Androids, Dubious Consent, M/M, Racism, Robot Feels, Robots, Unhappy Ending, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-11
Updated: 2015-11-11
Packaged: 2018-05-01 04:14:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,413
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5191859
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RonWeasleyAKALittleLionMan/pseuds/RonWeasleyAKALittleLionMan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Five times Stevebot Mark VI didn't confess 'I like you' to one very human Tony Stark and the one time he did.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Robots have feelings too, you know.

**Author's Note:**

  * For [stillirise](https://archiveofourown.org/users/stillirise/gifts).



 

 

 

  
Title: Robots have feelings too, you know.

Summary: Five times Stevebot Mark VI didn't confess 'I like you' to one very human Tony Stark and the one time he did.

Author's Notes: This is for stillirise because robots. She just completely adores robots.... and she keeps pestering to write stuff. I figured I could kill two birds with one stone. Also, I don't have a beta, so feel free to tell me of any spelling errors in the politest way possible. 

Warning Tags: dubious consent, unrequited love, racism, vows of silence

  

-1

The first time Stevebot Mark VI meets Tony, it's pretty eventful. 

Pepperbot II is scared out of her mind. 

Steve can just tell.

She doesn't want Brock Rumlow, one of the most self-entitled fleshbags in the entire school, to kiss her.

Even though its not his problem...

Even though he's a small scrawny bot and people think he has a chip on his shoulder....

Steve can't abide by doing nothing. 

Brock Rumlaw has Pepper cornered against the wall, two of his lackeys on both sides of her so that she was boxed in. In a voice that carried, Brock Rumlow was 'asking' for just a kiss, just a little one because she shouldn't mind anything he wanted to do to to her, right? She was the second model of a pretty amazing sexbot and he just wanted to see the different services offered. After all, he continued, wasn't that why she was created... to service humans like him and Pepper is shaking and trembling and muttering 'no, no, no.'  

So, Steve headbutts Brock Rumlow in the chest before the rotten filthy loathsome fleshbag can lay his filly hands on her, and predictably Brock Rumlow doesn't take to kindly to that. Brock Rumlow's lackey's forces him onto his knees and Brock takes a wrench and carves in Steve's chest plate. Pepperbot is using her sonors, shrilling at somebody, anybody to get Brock to stop. Brock snarls low angry words, pulling and yanking at any cords he can find and Steve feels his self preservation protocol being initiated because he's biting down hard with his molars, panicked out of his mind because is this it? Is he gonna be offlined? 

Then, Tony Stark arrives to the scene. He's in the air, shoes gleaming with a newer tech model of shoes that can propel people in the air.

He's lifting up matching bright, red armored gloves with a burning blue light up and charging. And Tony's telling Brock Rumlow to the back the hell off or Tony's gonna blast him into so many tiny subparticles that even the waste disposal bots won't be able to find even a hair of him.   

Brock stares at the bright, gleaming blue light directed at his face and backs the hell off, cursing death threats as he leaves. 

Steve looses consciousness, sleep mode activated and wakes to find Tony patching him up, face dirty and sweaty and a wide smile on his face.

'Thanks,' Steve writes, mini-pad showing the words, and Tony looks confused, asking him if his voice protocols are malfunctioning because Tony wouldn't mind fixing it, free of charge.

Steve holds back a sigh, explains the whole month of silence concept, and Tony doesn't look mocking.   

Tony doesn't tell him that he's one glitched bot that Buckybot Mark IV does sometimes, even though he's sure Buck is just kidding, mostly.

Tony just throws back his head and laughs, bright and carefree. Before Steve can take offense, he hears Tony boom, "Awesome!" Tony's voice is low and quiet then, but its actually pretty.... Steve searches his databases for the word: Ah. Sincere. Tony's actually pretty sincere when he says, "That's pretty cool."

Steve can feel his face plate heating up and wants to blurt out: 'You're pretty cool.'

He doesn't though, thank Nebula.

Holy mother processing bot.

What is wrong with him?

 

Later on, Buckybot Mark IV is calling him one glitched bot and asking him if his self-preservation protocols have malfunctioned. Buck tears into him, angry and worried, throwing wrenches at him for not getting his mental processor upgraded because if he did he obviously wouldn't even think about acting out such stupid life-endangering shit like this.

Steve thanks about protesting, but he's a little too busy dodging the wrenches aimed at his face.

"You're lucky if Brock Rumlow doesn't see to it you're offlined," Buck says, pulling Steve into an embrace. Its illogical to embrace like this. There's no rhyme reason but Bucky and Steve saw it once on the screen, two humans just comforting one another. They mimicked it and even though there was no concrete logic to the mobile movements, both had felt infinitely better afterwards. So, Steve lets Buck hold him because Buck sounds so... terrified. 

And Steve... Steve gets it. 

This isn't the first time where Steve ignores logical patterns of behaviors and does something based on what he feels. 

He's gotten into so many fights that the school board is wondering why Steve is so emotional for such a tiny little bot, why's he's so glitchy. 

They've considered what to do because he was so abnormal. 

Bots like him didn't go against humans. 

It was a safety hazard, some argued, to not offline such a disobedient bot capable of harming even one single human. 

"Tony said he'd take care of it," Steve said, reassuringly. 

Bucky didn't say a word, his grip on Steve merely tightening.  

 

Steve gets roped into helping with catering because his taste bud simulator and mobile movements were good enough to make some pretty tasty human dishes. He could especially make some delicious yellow rice and curry chicken.

Darcybot Mark III recruited him and even though Steve has a ton of stuff to do, he consents because she's giving him the artificial doe-eyed look Steve is sure she's copied from Disney Princess movies. Her lower lip trembles, her optics are wide and doe-eyed, and her optics are leaking just a little oil which is the robotic equivalent to crying.

'Fine,' Steve writes.

Buck grins from the corner of the room and Steve's listening protocols are not glitched. Okay. He can hear Buck's low snickering, "Maybe, you should be renamed suckerbot." 

Steve throws a wrench at him and when Bucky's snickering only gets louder, Steve throws another one. 

 

Darcybot Mark III is actually leaking oil this time. 

Its messy and ugly and Steve whirls around the room because he's not sure what the proper protocol is for a situation like this. 

_Pat. Pat._

The gesture actually makes Darcybot cry louder. 

Holy mother processing bot. 

What was he supposed to do?

Darcybot couldn't attend the party she's put so much effort into because although she co-planned it with Jane because the whole event is still Alexander's Pierce's party.

And Alexander Pierce doesn't want bots inviting themselves along to his party. 

Oh, he's actually pretty subtle about it because he doesn't outright say the reasons for why Darcybot can't attend. He's all for Jane Foster attending, but Darcybot can't come because, well, because all seats are reserved for the people on his guest list and their plus ones. He's oh so very sorry about that and if he had extra room he would have loved to have her there but some things just aren't meant to be. 

But when Darcybot tries to be the bigger person and shake his hand to signify its okay even though its really really not, Alexander Pierce sidesteps the gesture, unable to make the instinctive recoil look like anything else but one of horror and disgust.  

Its all so stupid and unfair and Steve wishes that things were different. 

He wishes humans could look past the exterior of the metal plates and into the core of their processors. 

Yes, they were robots. 

But that didn't mean they couldn't feel. 

 

-2

Darcy gets to attend because Tony is... Tony is Tony. 

He's unconventional and kind and he's one of the most beautiful human beings Steve has ever met. 

Seriously, if more humans were like Tony, Steve cuts that train of that, his face plate heating up, because if more humans being were like Tony, Steve didn't think his emotional protocols could handle the splurges of happiness or giddiness Tony instilled within him.

Tony has taken Darcy as his plus one, gentle and kind and daring as he announces it right in front of Alexander Pierce's face. 

An what was Pierce gonna do?

Dis-invite a Stark. 

Puh-lease.

Then, he announces that Rhodey is taking Steve as his plus one. 

Wait. What?

Steve tries to shut that down because he's not the most graceful bot. 

His dancing is jerky and awkward and he tries to tell Tony thanks but no thanks, but Tony just looks at him, eyes pleading, "Please, Steve. Please. I want you there."

And that's, well, that's...

Ok.

Steve nods dazedly, barely aware of the movement.

His listening protocols are not glitched.

_I want you there._

Tony wanted him there.

"Great," Tony grins.

Wait. What?

What just happened?

Steve catches Tony by the arm, writing, 'Thanks. For what you did for Darcy. It, well, it meant a lot.'

Tony leans back, humming before giving an equally thoughtful reply, 'You and Darcy matter. If you guys are capable of working hard for irritating flesh-bags like Pierce, then you're damn well entitled to sit with us as our equals. Fuck all the noise and all the hypocrisy. You guys are awesome bots and should be treated the way you deserve. '

Steve can feel his face plate heating up and wants to blurt out: 'You matter, too, at least to me.'

He doesn't though, thank Nebula.

Holy mother processing bot.

What is wrong with him?

 

Steve's listening protocols are not glitched. 

But right now, he kind of wishes they were. 

Darcybot is playing, "Have you met Steve?"

She's trying to get him up and on the dance floor and no, no, no. 

No, he was not going to dance. 

Not now. 

Not ever. 

What if he crashed into his dance partner, or stepped on their feet, or made a complete fool of himself?

"Wouldn't you dance with a guy like him?" Darcybot asks, pushy as ever because she's introducing him to... to Natasha Romanoff. 

The Ice Queen Herself. 

Holy mother processing bot. 

Was Darcybot glitched?

She was so far out of his league that it wasn't even funny. 

She eyed his scrawny frame up and down, eyes accessing him coldly.

"No, thank you," She said, icily polite and Steve jerks out of Darcybots grip with so much force that his mini-pad drops and crashes into tiny little pieces. 

Steve shrugs it off laughingly, saying, "Its fine. Its fine. I'm not much for dancing." And he retreats (aka runs) to the nearest dark corner.

No, he was not going to dance, Steve thought, mortified and angry and just a little wistful.

Not now.

Not ever. 

 

-3

Tony finds him. 

Of course, Tony finds him. 

"What are you waiting for, a nice bot like you?" Tony asked him, teasingly, "Why haven't you popped your lip virginity or at the very least asked another guy or gal up to dance with you?"

Steve considered not answering, using his vow of silence as a shield against interactions with people.

People weren't exactly lining up to dance with a small, scrawny bot like him. So, was Tony intentionally being cruel or teasing him in a friendly way, the same way Buck taught him that not all teasing was cruel.

He thought he found his answer was Tony handed a mini-pad to Steve, eyes wide and hopeful.

He didn't mock Steve's awkwardness or the way Steve was obviously retreating from the party. Tony merely sought his own way of communicating with Steve.

'I guess,' Steve wrote, shy and tentative, but melting under the warmth of Tony's friendliness, 'I just haven't found the right dance partner.'

Tony smiled, grinning from ear to ear, "Well, until you find that right dance partner, mind if I steal a dance?"

Steve didn't.

Steve didn't mind at all. 

"You've got moves, Steve," Tony laughs into his ear, really really close. 

Holy mother processing bot.

Tony was really close. 

'Yes' Steve writes, 'watch as I gracefully flip and flail in my attempts not to step on your toes.'

"Snarky," Tony says, grinning and okay. Tony needed to stop grinning. Tony needed to stop grinning because Steve has checked the correlation between Steve's faceplate heating up and Tony's warm smiles. There was a correlation, so Tony definitely needed to stop. 

"I like you," Tony continues and Steve freezes even though Tony has moved to other topics, warm and bright and totally invading Steve's personal space, not that Steve minds, not that Steve is complaining, like at all. 

Steve can feel his face plate heating up and wants to blurt out: 'I like you, too.'

He doesn't though, thank Nebula.

Holy mother processing bot.

What is wrong with him?

 

-4

Tony is sad.

Tony is sad, hurt, and in obvious emotional pain. 

"I guess you've heard the stories," Tony says, after downing another glass of alcohol. 

How much alcohol could a human body process in a single night? 

Steve steals the next drink, not willing to chance it. 

"I'm responsible for the loss of two thousand, five hundred and forty two lives," Tony says, giving the glass in Steve's hands a longing glance. He smiled Steve, low and bitter, "Happy Birthday to me."

'It wasn't your fault,' Steve writes and Tony throws back his head and laughs, the sound dark, distorted, and almost glitched. 

"I designed them," Tony says, self-loathing.

'I read the reports. You built them small aircrafts with a very unprecise launching system because your intentions were good and noble. Our men were starving, under-supplied, and you built a way for them to get the most care packages they could in the least amount of time before reinforcement arrived.'

"The enemy had their hands on my tech," Tony says, "and they weaponized it. People died, Steve, don't you get that? They died because me."

Steve rests a hand on Tony's shoulder, feeling Tony's whole body tremble and shake beneath his fingers.

'They died because of Obadiah Stane,' Steve write tersely, 'He's the traitor, not you.'

For a second, Steve thinks Tony reject the touch because Tony probably felt as though he didn't deserve the comfort. 

But then, Tony throws himself into Steve's touch, embracing Steve the same way he would embrace a human.

"But I trusted him," Tony says in a low anguished voice, his newer brighter glowing arc reactor pushing against Steve's own chest plate, "If I can't trust Obie, who can I trust? Huh? Who in this amazingly fucked up world can I actually trust?" 

Steve can feel his face plate heating up and wants to blurt out: 'You can trust me.'

He doesn't though, thank Nebula.

Holy mother processing bot.

What is wrong with him?

 

-5

"Ugh. I know I was kind of a mess yesterday and wow, that was just a shit ton of baggage. Yeah. So, sorry about that. Won't happen again. Just... Can we pretend that never happened? Okay? Okay. But uh, before I forget, just thanks for that. I don't know if you know this, but I don't actually have a lot of friends, wow. I sound like a loser. I do have friends, but, uh, they get the fun-loving, life of the party Tony Stark, not the angsty brooding dealing with a crap ton of shit Stark. But you, you're different, I guess. No, I don't guess. I know you're different. I'm just gonna dial up the cheese factor and come right out and say it: You're kind of an awesome friend to have. In fact, I'd... I'd like to say that you're my best friend in hopes that one day you'll feel the exact same way. Ugh. Wow. That was so sappy. Anyways, uh, call me back if I haven't already sent you running for the hills. This is Tony Stark. Over and out."

Steve can feel his face plate heating up and wants to blurt out: 'You're my best friend, too, but what if I wanted to dial up the cheese factor even more and ask if you'd like to be more than just friends?'

He doesn't though, thank Nebula.

Holy mother processing bot.

What is wrong with him?

 

 

"Stevie," Buckybot Mark IV said, rolling his eyes, "You must be glitched. Ain't no shard of happiness gonna be found between a human and a bot."

Stevebot Mark VI thew a wrench at the older bot's head, frowning when Buck just caught it gracefully with an irritating smirk, "Tony's different, Buck. I really really like him and now that my month of silence is over, I can finally tell him that, out loud."

"You always were a stubborn, glitchy little bot ever since I met you. Fine. Do what you want."

"Good," Steve said, more bravely than he actually felt, "Because I wasn't asking, you great big waste disposal bot."

"Emotionally Malfunctioning Ovenset," Buck threw back, grinning.

"Performance Issues Sexbot," Steve said, before ducking low to dodge the wrench aimed at his cerebral cortex.

"Stop stalling," Buck said, laughingly, "And go make out with your squishy, fleshbag of a human."

"Here's hoping," Steve said with smile, eyes wide and bright and so very smitten.

 

+1

"I like you," Steve said, using his voice protocols because this was important and Tony didn't actually know him...um.... well enough to to, ah,  know sign language and.. and Steve couldn't...he couldn't fuck this up okay. He... He... had to... He had to say it... so that Tony would understand and Tony wouldn't misunderstand... that Tony would get that Steve really really liked him. Honestly truly. He...he really did. Steve liked him  _so much._  

"Will you go out with me?" Steve asked, his processor shaking and trembling and maybe he was malfunctioning because.... because he could feel the oil shining within his circuits... and whirling and whizzing inside of his circuitry.... within the cerebral membrane of his, um, head. Holy mother processing bot. What...what if Tony said no? What if... what if Tony said yes like what is the... what would be the protocol for that like ah between a, uh, uh, uh, human and a robot? Would they... would they kiss? Or would they not? Or like maybe Tony um didn't like Steve at all. and uh Steve... Steve just wanted Tony to say something.... to let the awkwardness evaporate... to reject him or not reject him and make Steve the happiest robotic teenage boy on the planet. 

But Tony just stared at him, dumbfounded. 

Steve couldn't muster up the courage to repeat himself because it was awkward enough getting it across the first time around. So,  he uh... he...he waited for Tony to say something... for Tony to do something because Steve was... Steve's... Steve's not a coward. He's not going to be a coward about this and and just take it all back or laugh it off with a joke and just run away. 

Steve's... Steve likes him, damn it, and Steve has to... let him know that. Tony has to know that. 

Steve kept waiting for Tony to respond. 

"Will you go out with me?" Steve had asked him.

"No," Tony said, face expressionless. He was so hard to read at moments like this. He was a stranger at moments like this. Steve didn't ask why. Steve couldn't find the strength because his... throat was closing up tight and and and  maybe  maybe it's... it was malfunctioning because it was so so very very tight, almost constrictive and he could feel.... he could feel his opti... he could feel his optics just leak a little oil because...? He didn't know why he was malfunctioning. It's... Tony just rejected him. Its not.... Its not like it was the end of the world. It was fine. They could be friends again. They could just....

 _Why?_   Steve wanted to ask.  _Why?_

But he didn't because even though he proclaimed not to be a fucking coward, he didn't know if he'd like the reason or could handle the reason for why... he wasn't enough... for why Steve wasn't good enough for him. Just like he wasn't good enough for the people around him telling him he was a robot and he was too advanced and he had so many emotions that were just just... just extra... garbage. because he was a robot and he wasn't supposed to feel.

But he did feel.

He felt.... his mental processor searched for the proper phrase, for the proper word, searching his data banks and finding it... finding yes, Steve was... hurt. 

 _Why?_   Steve wanted to ask him.

But he didn't. 

Apparently he didn't have to because, uh, obviously he's just... so fucking easy to read. 

"I won't go out with you. Ever," Tony said, firm. "I could never see myself going out with a boy like you." And  _ouch_. That's... That's just... just...just just  _ouch._  Its like someone had wedged a torch into the delicate parts of his circuitry and burned and burned and burned away. 

 _Why?_  Steve wanted to ask. and again Tony continued even though a part of Steve wished that wouldn't... that Tony would just stop talking and just.... just let Steve leave.... just let Steve leave the room with... with things like they are. 

It just...

So, Steve wouldn't have to... have to keep hurting. 

"Stevebot Mark VI, move forward. Code 3578."

_Wha... Wha? Wh-What?_

Steve... moved forward automatically.

Tony just....

Steve searched his eyes, looking for the answer, but Tony just stared at Steve, face expressionless but eyes a little colder, a little more... cruel.

"Stevebot Mark VI, step back two steps." And Stevebot Mark VI would not step back two steps, would not, will not play his game because this wasn't funny.

Tony wasn't laughing, merely adding, "Code 3578." 

Steve did, his body obeying the codes. 

"Do you see the power I would have over you?" Tony said, a little angry. Tony ran a hand through his hair, looking utterly frustrated with him. 

Why was Tony doing this? To prove a point? Steve knew he would never abuse the power though. He was... He was Tony. He was... the nicest person... the nicest human being that Steve's ever met and why was he doing this? "Stevebot Mark IV," Tony said, voice soft and suave and... it made Steve sick to the core of his capabilities. "Stevebot Mark VI, lean foward and kiss me. Code 3578."

His body moved... to follow Tony's orders, but Steve tried to struggle... tried to fight back... to not kiss him because although Steve wanted to kiss him. God, He completely did. He wanted to kiss Tony with all the... with all the.... Steve wanted to kiss him so badly.... but not like this. Not when it was a game. Not when it was to prove a point. Not when Steve couldn't control how it was and how cold and expressionless and cruel this whole thing was. Steve didn't want his first kiss with a fella to ever be like this. Steve closed his eyes, bracing himself so he didn't have to see, so he didn't have to look. He didn't have to acknowledge what was happening. 

Flashback:

_"What are you waiting for, a nice bot like you?" Tony asked him, teasingly, "Why haven't you popped your lip virginity or at the very least asked another guy or gal up to dance with you?"_

_Steve considered not answering, using his vow of silence as a shield against interactions with people._

_People weren't exactly lining up to dance with a small, scrawny bot like him. So, was Tony intentionally being cruel or teasing him in a friendly way, the same way Buck taught him that not all teasing was cruel._

_He thought he found his answer was Tony handed a mini-pad to Steve, eyes wide and hopeful._

_He didn't mock Steve's awkwardness or the way Steve was obviously retreating from the party. Tony merely sought his own way of communicating with Steve._

_'I guess,' Steve wrote, shy and tentative, but melting under the warmth of Tony's friendliness, 'I just haven't found the right dance partner.'_

_Tony smiled, grinning from ear to ear, "Well, until you find that right dance partner, mind if I steal a dance?"_

_Steve didn't._

_Steve didn't mind at all._

End flashback

Steve wanted to kiss Tony so badly. But. Not. Like. This.

"Stevebot Mark VI, stop. Code 3578," Tony said, before Steve lips could even touch Tony's. 

He was...

Tony stared at him, their faces two inches, their faces two inches away from each other. 

If Tony had said it a little later, Steve would have kissed him. And for the first time, the idea of kissing Tony did not make Steve happy. 

"Don't you see?" he said, and the suaveness, the falseness, disappeared. The coldness in his eyes disappeared. 

Tony looked at Steve, eyes soft and voice terribly, terribly sad. "I would have complete control over you.... and you... could never say no, not in the way that would stop me. That's why I could never see myself being with you. I know you think I'm nice, but when you give people power. When you give people the power to hurt you, you'll find that niceness, gentleness, kindness fades away until all that's left are bits and pieces of darkness people hide in their hearts. Because the one person  _you_  trusted with  _your_  heart is the same person ready and waiting to pull it right out of your chest at the first chance at an opening or at the first sign of weakness."

Steve didn't reply because... partly because he didn't know what to say and partly because he was still so confused and hurt and overwhelmed with so many conflicting emotions. Emotions that Tony had instilled within him. 

"Please," Tony said, bowing his head and reaching out to touch Steve chest chamber. Steve flinched back, and Tony stopped at once, eyes filled with self-loathing and anguish, "Please know that I am so very sorry." Then, Tony left Steve there, standing and staring after him. 

Steve stood there and stood there and stood there, thinking long and hard. 

What was the point in voice protocols? What was the point of speaking up if the words you say ruin everything?

 

 


End file.
